not too bad!

[hils4400]

hi I am a little confused does this phrase mean good or bad....it was used in a report whereby I got 5 good marks and this added as a comment!!!

Hope you can assist

[jno]

Depends how it's used. If I ask someone sick how she's feeling and she says 'Not too bad' it means she knows it could be worse. If you ask someone fit and healthy how she feels and she says 'Not too bad' it could mean she's not at her best but not at all ill.

But in your case I think it was meant ironically - it would normally suggest you'd got moderately good marks, but as you'd actually got very good ones, it was a joke, using a sort of understatement.